Rose Oliver, Environmental Services supervisor

In her 29 years on the job, Rose Oliver has seen a lot of changes at Community Hospital, but her understanding of the import and value of her job as a housekeeper has never wavered.

“I started out cleaning patient rooms and restrooms every day,” says oliver. “you can still find me doing that, even though I’m a supervisor now. From the computer to the bathroom, whatever needs cleaning in my eight hours gets done. I tell my staff to leave the room like their next of kin is coming. I feel like we really provide a great service to the patients.

“As a supervisor,” Oliver continues, “I give out assignments in the morning and then I do inspections. I converse with patients to find out whether the housekeeper greeted them, did a good job, and left a card upon completion, and if I can do anything for them.

“We cover nearly the whole hospital: every patient room, the common areas, restrooms, waiting rooms, emergency department, ICU, and the Family Birth Center. We clean every doorknob, light switch, and telephone along the way. We clean these areas every day, and everything gets done properly and on time. The hospital provides us with the training and supplies to do what we need to do.”

At the end of her shift, oliver, 69, heads home and rests, then readies herself for the next day.

“Without Environmental Services,” she says, “the hospital can’t operate. I feel very proud and very fortunate to be an important link in this chain, knowing that my work is an essential part of patient care.”